MLB Best Bets for Today: Astros, Giants, & Guardians | Wednesday, May 18th

MLB Best Bets for Today: Houston has the pitching advantage tonight

Another day, another MLB best bets article. There are many good baseball games tonight, and if you want to bet on a few, you have come to the right place. There are many important things to consider when breaking down a baseball game: pitching matchups, recent performances, bullpen efficiency, etc. When considering all of these factors, there are three games that really stick out.

Below, you will find three of the best value bets for today's slate of MLB games.

Bet #1: Houston Astros F5 -0.5 (-105) vs. the Boston Red Sox

"Showed 'em a Texas size W" - @ Houston Astros

The Houston Astros dismantled the Boston Red Sox pitching staff last night en route to a 13-4 victory. Tonight, these teams meet in a series of rubbermatches at Fenway Park. The Astros will start Luis Garcia, who has seemingly found his rhythm while turning in three straight quality starts. Garcia has picked up wins in back-to-back outings and is looking to make it three straight tonight. The Houston Astros have been one of the best teams in the MLB as of late, winning 13 out of their last 15 contests. The Astros pitching staff ranks third in the MLB in team ERA, as well as second in the bullpen ERA. While the offensive statistics haven't been up to normal standards for Houston, they still rank 10th in runs per game. The talent in their offense is apparent with names like Jose Altuve, Michael Brantley, Yordan Alvarez, and Alex Bregman. The Astros have the pitching advantage as the Red Sox will start Nick Pivetta. Pivetta has had a tough start to the season, which is apparent with his 1-4 record and 5.08 ERA. We're going with the Astros to lead after five innings!

Bet #2: San Francisco Giants/Colorado Rockies F5 Under 6 (-115)

This matchup is the perfect recipe for an under here, specifically in the first five innings. Logan Webb will start this game for the San Francisco Giants, and he has been very effective starting the season. Webb has a 5-1 record with a 3.48 ERA, but has been susceptible to giving up runs as of late. The over/under line in this game has been boosted because of where they are playing. Coors Field in Colorado is notorious for high scoring games, but tonight seems like a game that should be somewhat low scoring while the starters are pitching. Left-hander Kyle Freeland will start for the Colorado Rockies, where he faces a left-handed heavy Giants offense. In the first two games of the series, these teams went over the first five-inning total line. Given the pitching matchup, it seems these teams are due for a slight decline in offense. Let's go with the first five under!

Bet #3: Cleveland Guardians ML (-130) vs. the Cincinnati Reds

"Not how we drew it up." - @ Cleveland Guardians

Although the Cincinnati Reds have won six of their last 10 ball games, they still sit at the bottom of the MLB standings. The Reds pitching has been absolutely horrible, as their 5.96 team ERA ranks dead last in the MLB. Cincinnati defeated the Cleveland Guardians last night in extra innings, putting a halt to an almost very impressive comeback. Tyler Mahle will start for the Reds tonight, and his 5.89 ERA is a great sign for a Cleveland offensive explosion. In his eight starts, Mahle has given up multiple earned runs in all but one of them. Not going to complicate this one too much, this is a top five offense against an awful pitching staff. Let's go Guardians!